Although February is generally known as the month of love, this doesn’t mean that these feelings should be limited to loving your significant other. In fact, loving your job is just as important because it allows you to be happier overall – which will in turn have a positive effect on your career.
If you’ve been lacking the motivation you once had for doing your job, it may be a sign that you’ve stagnated in your current position, especially if you’ve been fulfilling the same role for a number of years. Feeling ‘stuck’ in this way could be due to not learning any new skills recently or even something more significant such as a change in workplace management or policies.
While it may not always be possible to get a new job right away, you can implement these strategies to make your current position more bearable until you’re able to secure a new position:
1. Set New Goals
See if it’s possible to take on a new role, work towards an in-house promotion or even assist with any different projects or tasks that become available at your current workplace. After identifying your new goals, it’ll be easier to work towards achieving them.
2. De-clutter your Workspace
Sometimes, all that’s needed to boost enthusiasm is a good de-clutter of the space you spend the most time in at work. Sort through paperwork piles and file anything that must be kept. Toss anything that is outdated or no longer necessary and if allowed, add some personal touches to your desk. These can be photos of a cherished pet or family members or even a small potted plant that doesn’t require too much maintenance to keep alive.
3. Maintain a Reasonable Work-Life Balance
During your days off, do your best to engage in activities or hobbies you enjoy, spend quality time with loved ones or even enjoy an uninterrupted hour or two at the gym. Feeling fulfilled outside of work will go a long way in helping you to feel satisfied at work as well.
What Makes an Awesome Workplace?
Unfortunately, some places of employment are downright unpleasant due to toxic management teams and/or unreasonable workplace policies. If you’re currently stuck in a job somewhere like this, it’s important to know which aspects you should look for when seeking alternative employment. Here are some examples:
1. Company Culture that Focuses on Employee Well-being
Employees are more likely to commit to a company that cares about their well-being. Signs that a company actively considers employee well-being can include:
· Having dedicated employee well-being programs in place
· Listening to employee feedback and acting appropriately on it
· Establishing transparent channels of communication between employees and management
2. Competitive Compensation
Companies that truly care about their employees will demonstrate this by offering competitive salaries and related benefits. These can include options such as performance bonuses, free gym memberships, subsidised or free healthcare benefits and free meals during working hours.
3. Trust
Healthy and productive work environments involve management trusting employees to make the right decisions, employees trusting team leaders and management to guide them appropriately and coworkers trusting each other to work together so goals can be achieved.
Signs of a company that implements these policies include:
· Offering flexible working hours
· Providing the option to work remotely when feasible
· Providing paid time off as needed
4. Professional Development
Companies that invest in their employees not only help them to grow professionally; it allows their employees to provide them with better service over time as well. Investing in employees can include providing opportunities such as these:
· Providing financial compensation and/or time off towards pursuing further career-related education
· Offering membership to professional organisations
· Regular skills and/or management training
Recognising a Great Job Opportunity
If you’ve seen adverts for various positions and you’ve been wondering which of them would be best to apply for, there are some aspects to look out for in job adverts that will help narrow down your options:
1. The Advert Itself
Good employers will spend a decent amount of time creating the perfect job listing because this will ensure that they attract the right applicants from the start.
Seek out job postings that clearly list responsibilities, are well-written and that provide a good sense of the company’s culture. Be wary of posting that have poor spelling and grammar and that are vague with details regarding responsibilities, as this can be an indication of a company that doesn’t value quality communication between management and employees.
2. Growth Opportunities
While job seeking, it’s important to keep your future in mind. Before accepting any position, ensure that a potential employer provides absolute clarity regarding your position in the next few years. Never be afraid to ask questions about this during an interview.
It’s also a good idea to find out whether or not the company provides any form of ongoing training and education for their employees.
3. Potential Benefits
Although you may be offered a higher salary when interviewing for a new job, keep in mind that other aspects such as paid time off, retirement plan contributions or healthcare benefits may be lower than those you currently have – often putting you worse off in the long term.
As such, it’s recommended that you ask about any benefits being offered, especially if nothing is listed in your new employment contract or information is insufficient.
Before considering applying for any new positions, it’s crucial to get your CV in order – and this doesn’t mean entering your current information into a new template to make it look pretty.
A great CV will share your career-related information with potential employers in such a way that they will be keen to interview you. I have more than sixteen years of experience in compiling CVs that have assisted thousands of clients with landing their dream jobs – often after a single interview.
If you’re keen to make a career change this February, contact me to find out more about how I can assist by providing you with a CV that not only highlights your abilities, but that will also stand out among hundreds of others when applying for a new job.